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View synonyms for

cult

[kuhlt]

noun

  1. a particular system of religious worship, especially with reference to its rites and ceremonies.

  2. an instance of great veneration of a person, ideal, or thing, especially as manifested by a body of admirers.

    the physical fitness cult.

  3. the object of such devotion.

  4. a group or sect bound together by veneration of the same thing, person, ideal, etc.

  5. Sociology.a group having a sacred ideology and a set of rites centering around their sacred symbols.

  6. a religion or sect considered to be false, unorthodox, or extremist, with members often living outside of conventional society under the direction of a charismatic leader.

  7. the members of such a religion or sect.

  8. any system for treating human sickness that originated by a person usually claiming to have sole insight into the nature of disease, and that employs methods regarded as unorthodox or unscientific.



adjective

  1. of or relating to a cult.

  2. of, for, or attracting a small group of devotees.

    a cult movie.

cult

/ ʌ /

noun

  1. a specific system of religious worship, esp with reference to its rites and deity

  2. a sect devoted to such a system

  3. a quasi-religious organization using devious psychological techniques to gain and control adherents

  4. sociol a group having an exclusive ideology and ritual practices centred on sacred symbols, esp one characterized by lack of organizational structure

  5. intense interest in and devotion to a person, idea, or activity

    the cult of yoga

  6. the person, idea, etc, arousing such devotion

    1. something regarded as fashionable or significant by a particular group

    2. ( as modifier )

      a cult show

  7. (modifier) of, relating to, or characteristic of a cult or cults

    a cult figure

“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

cult

  1. In anthropology, an organization for the conduct of ritual, magical, or other religious observances. Many so-called primitive tribes, for example, have ancestor cults, in which dead ancestors are considered divine and activities are organized to respect their memory and invoke their aid. A cult is also a religious group held together by a dominant, often charismatic individual, or by the worship of a divinity, an idol, or some other object. (See animism (see also animism), fetish, and totemism.)

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The term cult often suggests extreme beliefs and bizarre behavior.
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Other Word Forms

  • cultic adjective
  • cultual adjective
  • cultish adjective
  • anticult noun
  • ˈܱپ noun
  • ˈܱپ noun
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Word History and Origins

Origin of cult1

First recorded in 1610–20; from Latin cultus “habitation, tilling, refinement, worship,” equivalent to cul-, variant stem of colere “to inhabit, till, worship” + -tus, suffix of verb action
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Word History and Origins

Origin of cult1

C17: from Latin cultus cultivation, refinement, from colere to till
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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

It is, after all, as much a cult of personality as it is a political movement.

From

The original Renault 5, launched in 1972, was a quirky little everyman car with boxy looks and low running costs that became a cult classic.

From

And although the streaming boom has had its drawbacks, it has also unearthed and popularized worthy cult classics, giving them a new life and the long-deserved veneration they deserve.

From

It's a trick used by nearly every cult leader.

From

The cult of wealth makes people interchangeable, women especially.

From

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